Embodiments of the present invention relate generally to methods and systems for using a virtual assistant in an interaction and more particularly to providing virtual assistance on a contact agent interaction during a live chat session.
Customer Relationship Management (CRM) systems or other contact center systems provide support for customers of a product or service by allowing those users to make requests for service that can include a question posed by the user related to the product or service. Generally speaking, these systems receive requests for service, e.g., in the form of a phone call, web page form, instant message, email, etc., and route the requests to either a virtual agent or live, human agent for addressing the request and providing an answer to the question. For example, a chat or other session can be conducted between the customer and an automated virtual agent which guides the interaction based on a set of scripts and a knowledgebase related to the topic of the contact. In other cases, a chat session can be initiated between the customer and the live agent who can interact directly with the customer over any one or more of the available channels, e.g., web chat, instant message, email exchange, etc.
However, current approaches maintain a clear distinction or separation between live agent chat solutions and virtual assistant solutions. The arguments for each are pretty clear. Virtual assistants provide lower overhead since there is not a need to employ as many chat agents. Virtual agents also ensure that customers are getting a consistent experience which isn't always the case when using live, human agents. However, there are situations or questions a virtual assistant can't answer. Furthermore, many customers prefer interacting with an actual human. Currently, these systems do not effectively provide the benefits of both approaches in a way that seamlessly integrates both a virtual agent and a live agent into a particular session. Hence, there is a need for improved methods and systems for using a virtual assistant in an interaction.